From March 19 to 22, 2025, India and France conducted the Varuna 2025 naval exercise in the Arabian Sea, reaffirming their strategic alliance and dedication to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific area. The Indian and French Navies’ interoperability and joint operational capabilities were greatly improved by the sophisticated air defence exercises, anti-submarine warfare operations, and surface combat manoeuvres featured in this edition of Varuna.
With an emphasis on successfully neutralising aerial threats, participating troops engaged in realistic combat simulations employing French Navy Rafale-M fighters and Indian Navy MiG-29K aircraft.
Both fleets’ Indian submarines and anti-submarine frigates participated in exercises designed to enhance their tactics and understanding of the undersea area.
Through simulated clashes, intricately coordinated actions demonstrated the combined combat potential of both fleets.
The logistical interoperability of the fleet tankers from both navies improved mutual support for long-term operations.
Compared to earlier iterations, the exercise attained a greater level of operational coordination, indicating a notable improvement in jointmanship. For smooth operations in intricate maritime situations, it promoted a greater awareness of one another’s operational doctrines and made it easier to share best practices. The effective completion of these exercises demonstrated the long-standing collaboration between France and India in defending international water lanes and tackling common maritime security issues.
The Indian Navy stressed in a statement about the exercise that Varuna 2025 strengthened the solid basis of cooperation and trust between the two countries in addition to consolidating earlier drills. Since its establishment in 2001, Varuna has been a pillar of India-France defence cooperation, and it remains vital to maintaining security and a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific area.
